More rugged than posh - playing polo the Kiwi way

Summer at a sportsground in Hawkes Bay means the thud of hooves and the knock of mallets under the hot summer sun. Summer at a sports ground in Central Hawkes Bay means the thud of hooves and the knock of mallets under the hot sun, sheep grazing in paddocks nearby. Country Life has dropped in on a polo match - the Barrett-Dearden Memorial Cup - the major annual home-game tournament for Wanstead Polo Club.Take a trip to the sidelines of a polo match, Kiwi-style, with Country LifeAs the second-largest club in the country, the grounds are home to some of New Zealand's more experienced players."It is a cool sport because it allows you to play like a warrior. I started playing when I was 50," said Pete Hyslop, who has 10 years under his belt."It's pretty hard to play full contact rugby at that age but you can certainly play polo."The teams are mixed in gender and age and the youngest player on the Wanstead pitch today is just 10 years old. A match is split into time periods known as chukkas, each seven minutes long. A game can last anywhere from four to eight chukkas, depending on resources and standard of play.The sport comes with traditions like stomping the divots in between chukkas. "It's literally stomping the grass back down for the next game so the field isn't so bumpy for the players," Maria Apatu, one of the spectators, explains.She has rallied others onto the pitch in their gumboots and hats to ensure the match runs smoothly. In the shade, tacking up a group pf horses waiting for their turn on the field, is Pōrangahau local, horse trainer, and polo player, Wirihana "Woody" Kururangi. He was riding horses before he could walk on the East Cape in Tokomaru Bay. "They're amazing animals, they will put their life on the line for you". Now he works alongside Harriet Kuru and her whānau at Opiango Hills, who train and breed horses in Pōrangahau. The Kurus also take in retired racing thoroughbreds and give them a new life in polo. Kururangi says this process can take anywhere from four months to a couple of years."We take them from the track, school them up and train them up for polo".Polo is thought to have originated in Central Asia some 2000 years ago and has been dubbed the "sport of kings".In the UK it has a reputation as a sport for the wealthy elite, but this isn't necessarily true in Aotearoa. "It can be posh but it just depends where you are," Kururangi said. "It's not as posh around here in New Zealand. We just do it the same way as rugged really". …Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details